Human Rights Group Protests Darfur Death Sentences

Amnesty International is
protesting the death sentences handed down to 82 Darfuri men by a Sudanese
special court. The men were allegedly involved in a May 2008 attack on the
capital, Khartoum, by an armed opposition group based in Darfur, the Justice
and Equality Movement.

Amnesty says the trial and sentencing of the accused
men is a breach of international law. It's asking the government to
overturn the death sentences. Erwin Zanderborght is director of Africa Programs
at Amnesty International. VOA's Chinedu Offor asked him
how the organization hopes to pressure the Sudanese government to change its
mind.

"We are mobilizing our
membership to campaign on a number of things. One is that the death penalty
should not be applied in principle, as it is cruel and inhumane punishment, but
also to investigate the allegation of torture, which the accused have voiced
against the Sudanese authorities, and also to make sure that standards of fair
trial are upheld. On all those three aspects, it is clear that the Sudanese
government has a responsibility so that is why we are pushing to see that
rectified."

Zanderborght
discussed the influence of outside pressure: "By putting it out in the public,
we hope that there will be enough momentum to stop this, and it will obviously
require pressure from other sides as well. We know that the Sudanese government
recently executed nine other people, also after unfair trials and also after
accusations of torture. So, yeah, we are very worried about the situation of
the 82 people from Darfur. They are still in a position to appeal the death
sentence so we hope that judicial process will rectify the current sentencing,
but at the same time, obviously, the allegations of torture has to be
investigated because a number of people confessed after having been subjected
to torture."